When evaluating good medical practice management it is important to consider that the manager is the person charged with setting up and maintaining office systems ranging from scheduling patients, to billing and collecting fees, to managing front- and back-office staff. Most managers are the leading non-physician overseers in a small practice of two to four physicians. They are often the most responsible staffers that have been promoted from line positions or moderately qualified medical workers with previous medical practice management experience. These managers are typically limited in authority to managing the lay employees and overseeing the business systems.
Also, administrators are generally considered mid- or high-level managers, normally with an MBA. Not counting the clinical side of each practice, they are always responsible for everything else that goes on inside the medical practice. These tasks can be numberless, and therefore many medical practice opt to have medical practice management software or emr software installed. They are still not at the top of the totem pole though, even the best manager generally has the need of reporting to the physician-owners.
Doctors looking for qualified medical practice management today let us know that it's challenging than ever to hire the most qualified person. There may be many qualified applicants, but the proper choice depends partly on intangibles that make the selection difficult. That's one reason why medical practice management administrators perceive that competition for these jobs is more intense than ever.
Although this field of work has become more competitive, the same age old methods are being used to advertise that new positions are available. Advertisements in newspapers are still very common, but there has been an increase in the amount of advertising on the internet.
If you don't have all the time in the world you can try hiring a good recruiter to locate the most qualified applicant. If this is the route you choose to take, don't go hire just anyone who claims to be a good recruiter. Make sure you hire someone who has much experience in recruiting and knows what he or she is doing. Hire someone who not only knows how to recruit someone for the position, but someone who may have had some experience in practice management and therefore he or she would be someone who can be trusted when he or she recommends someone for the job. No matter what practical approach you take, you can increase your chances of hiring the right man or woman for the job by following key principles.
1. It's not smart to underestimate how much work needs to be done in order to prepare for a new practice manager, especially since more of than not, it may be your first time hiring a professional administrator. Make sure you are kept up to date on what responsibilities the job has. Remember, as you create a job description, make sure you remember to include all of the things that constitute a successful practice. Some research may want to be done for this before making your own job description. In fact, a lot of research needs to be done. Don't skip over this step, as it will prove to be vitally important to the practice's success. Wisely assess your desires and goals of the office. Too many times, a medical practice hires someone but doesn't give them the freedom they need to excel at their job.
2. Be flexible when evaluating the medical practice management candidates' abilities. Don't get hung up on how many letters follow their names. A candidate with 10 or 15 years of successful group leadership may overshadow a candidate with a brand new MBA or MHA from a prestigious university.
When you finally do hire a manager, be certain that he or she is someone that can be trusted. The industry is competitive enough that if you feel that more time is needed in order to find a more qualified candidate, do it. It is much better to go with the top candidate instead of hoping that a mediocre candidate will improve. You need to consider his or her capability to adapt to new programs. If the practice changes to a software solution for its medical practice management, he or she needs to know how to use it and needs to be able to learn quickly. Many practices are installing emr software for their medical records.
Last of all, don't forget this: "A successful practice hires successful people, and then lets them do their work by not getting in their way."
